title: Arteriobronchial fistula complicating right upper lobectomy.
abstract: Bronchial stump fistula (BSF) is a known complication after lobectomy, although its incidence after lobe resection for non-small cell lung cancer usually does not exceed 2%. We present the case of a patient in whom a late BSF developed that led to a fatal pulmonary hemorrhage 4 weeks after right upper lobectomy and 4 hours after emergency readmission. Such a pulmonary hemorrhage could have been prevented by pulmonary artery embolization and intrapericardial pneumonectomy. The decision to perform pneumonectomy as a preventative procedure without overt clinical symptoms was a difficult decision to reach, particularly given the likelihood of being unnecessarily aggressive.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland. Electronic address: marjanski@gumed.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Marjanski
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sternau
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dziedzic
mesh_terms: D001983:Bronchial Fistula / Q000209:etiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D016157:Vascular Fistula / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: 15